Remembering Anton Yelchin: 5 Notable Genre Film Roles

Man, you guys. I’m not even really sure where to begin with this. Anton Yelchin was taken from us far too soon. It’s very surreal to me because he was born less than two weeks after I was. It’s a tragic loss. The 27-year-old actor had been acting for the past 16 years and had acted in over 40 films and several TV series. He didn’t break into the horror genre until 2011, with the remake of Tom Holland’s Fright Night. To celebrate the actor’s career, I thought I would take a look back at the genre films that Yelchin had starred in. It was an impressive career that was tragically cut short. RIP Anton Yelchin

Fright Night

When the Fright Night remake was announced, the backlash it received was brutal. Cut to August 2011 and a small handful of viewers found out that it was actually one of the better remakes to have been made. The film was met with positive reviews but still flopped upon its initial release It has since found a cult following. Yelchin took over the role of Charlie Brewster, which was originated by William Ragsdale in the 1985 film. Yelchin brought his usual blend of quirkiness and charm to the role and managed to make it his own, something all remakes should strive to do.

Odd Thomas

Odd Thomas went under the radar when it was released in 2014, but it’s definitely worth a watch. The ending will stick with you for quite some time. Yelchin played the titular character in the adaptation of Dean Koontz’s novel of the same name. Yelchin seems born to play Odd Thomas, and while the movie may not have gotten the recognition it deserved back in 2013, maybe people will seek it out now to give it some appreciation.

Only Lovers Left Alive

As Ian, the oblivious human who formed a partnership with Tim Hiddleston’s vampire Adam, Yelchin didn’t have much to do in Jim Jarmusch’s vampiric love story. That being said, he made a lasting impression as the poor sap who was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Burying the Ex

No one would call Joe Dante’s latest film a great movie, but Yelchin helped to elevate it from terrible to moderately watchable. While the whole film falls pretty flat in terms of humor, it has its moments. The whole cast is actually pretty endearing, but Yelchin pretty much owns the entire movie.

Green Room

Arguably one of the best films to be released this year, Jeremy Saulnier’s Green Room is a roller coaster ride of suspense and terror. Yelchin plays the lead singer of The Ain’t Rights, a punk rock band who lands a gig at the worst bar in the world. Yelchin may not look like an action movie star, but his performance in Green Room could convince anyone otherwise.

It’s truly awful that we’ll never see Yelchin in another movie (barring the four he has in post-production right now). The world lost a truly talented actor last weekend. What are your favorite roles of Anton Yelchin? Share your memories in the comments below as we all remember this talented man.